My Love
by The Emcee
Summary: AU. Amelia has had a crush on her neighbor, Ivan Braginski, ever since she was six years old, but she never thought he'd return her feelings because of her age. After fighting with her dad, fourteen year old Amelia goes over to Ivan's house seeking comfort. And everything changes. Fem!America. Russia/America. One-shot. Complete.


Title: My Love

Author: The Emcee

Pairing: RusAme

Summary: AU. Amelia has had a crush on her neighbor, Ivan Braginski, ever since she was six years old, but she never thought he'd return her feelings because of her age. After fighting with her dad, fourteen year old Amelia goes over to Ivan's house seeking comfort. And everything changes.

Disclaimer: There will be underage sex and pregnancy in this (although I think the technical term is pedophilia, although Ivan doesn't go for kids just for Amelia, if that makes any sense?), so yeah. You've been warned about that (please don't kill me; I can't control what my mind thinks up). Also, I don't own any of the characters.

A/N: I don't even know what to say except please don't kill me! R&R. Enjoy!

~…~

**My Love**

~…~

Amelia was six years old when she saw the movers unloading the furniture from their truck. She was outside on the front porch of her house, playing with her Barbie dolls – because her dad told her that G.I. Joes were for boys, not little girls – when they first pulled up. The truck was parked on the side of the road and a car had pulled into the driveway before it. Glancing up, naturally curious for her age, Amelia watched as a tall man with ash colored hair got out of the car.

Her cheeks began to feel warm as she stared at him. He was pale, the man she saw, and indeed very tall. To any other six year old, he'd be incredibly intimidating and frightful. But when his violet colored eyes landed on her and she saw the kindness in them and the smile that graced his lips, Amelia no longer felt afraid. All she felt were her cheeks getting hot again and butterflies fluttering about crazily in her tummy.

"Hello, little one," the man called out to her, approaching the white picket fence that separated their properties. Amelia dropped her Barbies – what kind of girl played with Barbies anyway? – and stepped off of the porch and made her way over to the towering stranger that was now her new neighbor.

"Hi," she said a bit shyly, a blush tinting her face once more as she stared up at him. He was just so big! And…and cute too, even though boys her age had cooties. But the man before her wasn't her age, so he couldn't have cooties, right?

"My name is Ivan Braginski. I'm your new neighbor," the man, Ivan, said with a kind smile. "What is your name, little one?" Amelia decided that she liked Ivan a lot; he was really nice.

"Amelia. Amelia Kirkland," she told him, giving him a shy smile. She didn't really talk to many grown-ups. And her other neighbor, Mr. Ludwig, was kind of scary looking, so she really didn't talk to him either.

"Amelia. That is a nice name," Ivan said. Just then, one of the movers dropped a couch and Ivan glared at him over his shoulder. Amelia heard the door to her house open and close and she turned to see her dad coming towards her.

"Amelia, what are you doing?" her dad asked, his expression a mixture of concern and anger. Amelia winced; she didn't like it when her dad got angry. Not that he got angry a lot; but when it did, it was out of the norm.

"Talking to Mr. Ivan," she told him. Her dad bent down and picked her up just as Ivan turned back to them. He smiled at her dad and Amelia watched as her dad returned it, although it was strained and controlled.

"Oh, hello. Are you our new neighbor, then?" her dad asked Mr. Ivan.

"Da. I am Ivan Braginski. Nice to meet you," Ivan said, extend his hand. Amelia's dad shook it briefly.

"And to you as well. I'm sorry, but we must be going," her dad told Mr. Ivan. "It's lunch time and I don't want anything going to waste."

"Of course. It was nice meeting you," Mr. Ivan said. His violet eyes turned to Amelia. "See you again soon, Amelia. Do svidaniya."

Amelia waved good-bye at Ivan as her dad carried her into their house. She didn't know that meeting him would change her entire life around. She didn't know that it would only be a short matter of time before everything changed for all three of them. All Amelia knew was that she liked Ivan a lot and she couldn't wait until the next time she saw him.

~…~

A ten year old Amelia stood up and patted her gloved hands together, shaking the dirt off of them. She smiled down at her work and turned to the man who was tending to the bushes on the opposite side of the yard. For a minute, she just watched him, watched as his muscle rippled under his shirt as he worked on trimming the bushes, watched as he wiped his forearm across his forehead to wipe away the sweat, watched as his hair clung to the back of his neck. There was no denying it now: the crush Amelia had on Ivan when she first met him four years ago was still alive and well and growing with every day they spent together.

"Hey, Ivan!" Amelia called. "I finished planting the sunflowers." Ivan stopped his work and turned to her, smiling happily at her. Seeing that smile made her heart pitter-patter like no one's business and caused her stomach to wrangle in tight knots as though butterflies were going berserk inside her.

"отличный," Ivan said as he approached her.

"What?" Amelia asked. Even now, she still hadn't gotten used to his Russian. But she wouldn't mind learning it, especially if it meant that she'd get to spend more time with Ivan.

"Great," Ivan said. "Now, let me see your work." Crouching down to the flower bed, Ivan looked over every bud carefully and smiled when he seemed satisfied.

"You did well, little Amelia," he said, standing up to his full height. Amelia loved how he was taller than her and wanted to just stay beside him forever.

"Thanks! I just hope that they all survive my horrible gardening skills," Amelia said, laughing. Ivan smiled down at her, a slow, sweet smile that made her heart beat even faster. She was pretty sure she was blushing.

"Nonsense. They will not die. We will care for them together," Ivan told her.

"I'd like that very much," Amelia said, smiling up at him.

"As would I," Ivan replied.

"Amelia!" her dad called. Amelia rolled her eyes and grinned up at Ivan.

"My dad's home. I should probably get back home and start on my neglected homework before his brain explodes," Amelia said, laughing as she, reluctantly, started to head around the house to the gate that opened up the sidewalk.

"If it does explode and you need a place to stay, you are more than welcome here, Amelia," Ivan said, smiling down at her. Did he know what he did to her? Did he have even the slightest clue about her feelings for him? Probably not…

"Sounds like a plan, Ivan! I'll talk to you later," Amelia said before she gave Ivan a hug and forced herself to pull away from him even though his arms felt incredibly wonderful around her smaller body.

"Do svidaniya, Amelia," Ivan called as she walked up to the walkway to her house. Her dad was already out of his car and frowning is disapproval at her as she made her way to the front door, him trailing behind her with his briefcase in his hand.

"We will talk about this later, Amelia," he told her as she opened the door. Turning her head to the right, Amelia saw Ivan watching them with concerned violet eyes. She gave him a smile and a wave before she disappeared into the house.

"There's nothing to talk about. Ivan needed me to help plant his sunflowers. I wasn't doing anything wrong," Amelia grumbled before taking off her gardening gloves. She only kept them beside Ivan gave them to her.

"There's plenty wrong!" her dad snapped, moving into the kitchen and putting his briefcase down on the table. "He's twenty-seven. You're just ten! You shouldn't be alone around him."

"Why not? Ivan's not going to do anything to hurt me, Dad," Amelia said, starting to get angry. "Besides, I thought you liked Ivan." She heard her dad sigh and he walked into the living room. Amelia noticed that he had taken off his jacket.

"I do like Ivan. I just don't like how much time you spend with him," her dad said, looking more concerned than angry. "You're ten years old, Amelia. You should be hanging out with friends from school, joining clubs, signing up for sports teams. Not planting sunflowers with a neighbor who's seventeen years older than you. And Russian."

"What? Do you think he's a communist planning on taking over our country with an army of sunflowers?" Amelia grumbled and then was forced to stifle a giggle. She could just picture Ivan and an army of sunflowers marching on D.C. Imagining Ivan in a military uniform made her stop laughing though; she bet he'd look good in one.

"This is not laughing matter! I'm being serious about this," her dad said in a raised voice. "You never talk about friends or wanting to join clubs or do sports."

"Sports are boring and I do enough of them in gym class. And I am part of a club!" Amelia objected.

"A club that you're obligated to take during your fifth period study hall along with the rest of the school. And it's drawing club which means you don't have to interact with hardly anyone," her dad said, frowning. "You should be friends with kids your own age and go and do things with them."

"I don't want to," Amelia said stubbornly. And she didn't. Kids her age…most of them were jerks who poked fun at her for her cowlick and because her hair was cut short, and that was because it became truly messy and horrific if it was too long. Besides, most of the girls were too in to shopping and make-up and boys their own age. They wouldn't understand her at all. Lord knows she sure did understand them.

"Go to your room. You're grounded," her dad said and walked off into the kitchen.

"What?!" Amelia said, getting off of the couch. "Why?!"

"Because I said so. Now go to your room!" her dad yelled.

"It's not fair!" Amelia cried in anger as she stomped up the steps, angry tears falling from her blue eyes.

"Life's not fair, young lady!" her dad called. Amelia went into her bedroom and slammed the door, locking it behind her.

She flung herself onto her bed and bawled like she was a little kid again, her entire body shaking with her sobs. Her dad didn't understand and she wished that he would. Ivan was her best friend, her only friend. He understood her better than even her dad did and he didn't talk down to her or treat her like she was a stupid kid. No, when he talked to her, he did so like he would any other person: like she fully understood what he meant, and she did. Actually, he talked to her and treated her better than most of the other people in town and that made her feel special…loved…wanted.

What she felt for Ivan wasn't just some six year old crush anymore: Amelia loved him. She knew that she did. Everything inside of her, her body, her heart, and her soul, screamed at her that she loved Ivan and that there'd be no one else for her. So what if he was seventeen years older than her? That'd mean that he'd only be thirty-five when she was eighteen and considered an adult. Then what could her father do about it?

Sitting up, Amelia wiped her eyes and went over to her window. Opening it, she cautiously crawled out of it, being as quiet as she could be. Expertly, having done this numerous times before over the past couple of years, Amelia climbed down the ivy covered trellis that was attached to the side of her house. Even after having found her using it as an escape route, her dad had yet to make good on his word and tear it down.

Landing softly on the grass, Amelia quietly made her way over to the white picket fence that separated her house from Ivan's. As she expected, Ivan was in his backyard, working.

"Hey, Ivan," Amelia called in a loud whisper. She wasn't afraid he wouldn't hear her; he always did. And sure enough, he turned and looked over at her. His violet eyes lit up and he walked over to her.

"Amelia, is everything okay?" he asked, concern evident in his tone and his expression. Amelia chewed her bottom lip, knowing very well that it looked like she had been crying and could very well start back up at any second.

"It's okay. You can tell me," Ivan said gently. Amelia looked up and met his violet eyed gaze.

"Dad grounded me," she said softly.

"Why?" Ivan asked.

"Because I'm spending too much time with you," she said. "He said that I should spend time with kids my own age and hang out with them. But I don't want to! They make fun of me and most of them only ever talk about stupid stuff like make-up and clothes and stupid Reality TV. I'd rather spend my time with you."

"I know, Amelia. Don't fret; your dad is just worried is all. He just doesn't want you to miss out," Ivan told her. Amelia shook her head.

"Yeah, well, he just doesn't understand it or me. Even if I did join a club or tried out for sports, the other kids would make fun of me. They already do," Amelia muttered, looking down before she turned back to him. "Besides, I'd much rather spend my time with you. You know a lot of cool things and you have the best stories. Plus, you don't treat me like I'm a stupid kid. You're my best friend, Ivan."

"That makes me pleasure smile, little Amelia," Ivan said, his smiling wide and sincere. "But your dad does kind of have a point. You should spend a little time with other kids your age. If you do, you can still spend time with me because your dad would let you and get off your back."

"But I don't want to join a club! I hate those other kids and Dad wouldn't be able to pick me up after school anyway 'cause of his work," Amelia said. How could Ivan just take her dad's side? Didn't he care about her at all?

"Just join one of those dull, boring clubs, like…I dunno…what is one?" Ivan asked her. Amelia thought for a second.

"There's poster club. They just make poster and put them up around the school," Amelia mumbled, not happy that Ivan was talking her into this.

"Da! Join poster club and I will pick you up afterwards. It works out because your dad can't say you're not trying, you won't have to interact too much with other kids, and we can still spend time together," Ivan said.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Amelia said, not happy about it. Suddenly, she felt Ivan's fingers gently grasp her chin and forced her to meet his gaze.

"I don't want you taken away from me, Amelia, so please join something. We would still see other every day and Arthur would calm down some, da?" Ivan said softly. "And even if those kids make fun of you, they would stop it they saw that you had a wonderfully powerful Russian picking you up every day, da?" Amelia giggled softly and gave Ivan a small smile.

"Da," she said.

"Amelia Francine Kirkland! You're supposed to be in your room," her dad yelled from the back porch, his hands on his hips.

"Bye, Ivan!" she said and ran towards her dad.

"Dad! I'm going to join the poster club tomorrow!" she said as she rushed into the house.

"P-poster club?" her dad asked. He turned to Ivan, who gave him a smile and a wave.

"Do svidaniya, Arthur," he called.

"T-thank you, Ivan," her dad said before going into the house. "You're still grounded, young lady!"

~…~

Amelia held herself as she shook, tears streaming down her face as she walked out of the school. Today had been the worst day of her entire life. Sitting in English class, Amelia had felt something…odd going on down…well, there. When she asked to be excused to the bathroom and stood up, the entire class room broke out in laughter. Racing towards the nearby bathroom, Amelia pulled down her jeans and underwear to see what was wrong and found blood. A lot of blood. More blood than she could imagine.

Crying, she went to the nurse's office, trying and failing to conceal her bloodstained jeans from anyone who passed by her. Thankfully, her Science teacher had passed her and escorted her to the nurse, which was a good thing because no one openly laughed at her or called her horrible names.

When Amelia told the nurse what was wrong, the nurse told her that it was natural for her age. That most twelve year old girls got their periods and had many embarrassing episodes. But Amelia knew that she wasn't going to hear the end of it. So, the nurse gave her a change of clothes, a bag to put her soiled clothes in, and a few pads and sent her on her way.

And, as expected, the rest of the day was an utter disaster. Kids from classes and grades she didn't even know were pointing at her and laughing and making fun of her. As if that wasn't bad enough, all of the girls in Poster Club had tormented her ruthlessly until she just couldn't take it. Amelia left early and was walking down the sidewalk, her book bag slung over her shoulder and her bag of clothes in her hand, when a car stopped alongside her.

Glancing at it, she realized it was Ivan and she cried out, unbelievably happy and relieved. She quickly made her way around the car and into the passenger seat, wiping her eyes as she buckled up.

"Amelia? What happened? What is wrong?" Ivan asked, looking puzzled and worried. He reached over to her and wiped a stray tear that fell from her eye. God, how she just wanted to cuddle up with him and let him hold her and tell her that everything would be okay.

"I…I…" she said and suddenly felt so embarrassed about what had happened. How the hell could she tell Ivan, the man whom she loved, that she had gotten her period in the middle of class and had been teased and picked on all day because of it? What would he say or think? Ivan would probably think she was a stupid kid who was too sensitive and emotional. She couldn't blame him; it's was she thinks.

"Amelia, I am not going to laugh at you," Ivan told her gently. "You are upset and I am worried about you. So please just tell me so that I can help you."

Taking in a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, Amelia looked down at her lap and began to explain.

"I…I never knew that girls got their periods at twelve," she mumbled. "Actually, Dad never told me about it and I was out of school during the week we talked about it in health class because of the stomach flu, so I never learned about it there either. And today…well…" Swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat, Amelia continued.

"It came right in the middle of English class and everyone saw it and laughed at me! It was a total nightmare all day! No one would let me hear the end of it! They just kept laughing and s-s-aying stuff and…" By this point, Amelia was crying again and she covered her eyes with her hands while her body shook.

All she wanted to do right then and there was crawl into a ditch and die. How was she ever going to live this down? None of her classmates were ever going to let her forget it. And Ivan? He probably thought she was gross too. God, he probably wanted her out of his car right now just in case she had another accident. And he'd probably never want to talk to her again…

Arms wrapped awkwardly around her and she was pulled as close as she could be to Ivan. Amelia, shocked and in disbelief, blinked a few times, clearing her tear blurred vision, and looked up. All she could see was Ivan's ash colored hair through her blonde hair and nothing else.

"Don't feel ashamed, Amelia. I have two sisters so I know somewhat about things like this," Ivan said. He placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head and Amelia's heart skipped a beat before it soared. Feeling more secure, she relaxed into his perfect, awkward embrace, and listened to his voice.

"You are going to grow up into a beautiful sunflower, Amelia. Others your age will envy you and desire you, but you won't ever forget their cruel words. You will use them to make yourself stronger and grow into someone they will tread carefully around. Believe me; this I know," Ivan told her and pulled back slightly to look her in the eye, much to her disappointment. She could have stayed forever in his arms like that, even if the angle was awkward. "Do not feel bad or cry anymore. It pains me so to see you upset like this, Amelia."

"Th-thank you, Ivan," Amelia said, kind of in awe of his words, not sure what to say even though that made her feel incredible.

"It is no problem, подсолнечник," Ivan said with a smile. "Now, we have sunflowers to tend to, da?"

"Da," she said softly, smiling slightly.

It was then that Amelia realized that she had definitely fallen in love with Ivan and that there'd be no going back for her. And she was okay with that.

~…~

"You're such an asshole! I hate you!" Amelia screamed as she stormed out of the front door.

"Amelia Francine Kirkland, you get back inside this house this instant!" her dad shouted at her from inside the front doorway.

"Fuck you, old man!" Amelia yelled, flipping him off and storming down the walk way.

"Don't make me call the police on you, young lady!" her dad threatened. That only made her laugh.

"And tell them to bring your fourteen year old daughter back to your empty house? Now leave. Me. ALONE!" she screamed and quickly walked down the sidewalk, away from her house, even past Ivan's, and headed towards the park near the end of the street.

Amelia had gotten into fights with her dad before, but this one was particularly bad. As a business man, one who was in charge of the Human Resources department, he had to go away a few times a year to see partner companies and help them with, well, Human Resources stuff. She didn't know all of the detailed; it was too complicated for her to understand and she never paid much attention when her dad did try to explain it to her anyway. The only thing Amelia knew was that her dad spent more time at work than he did at home and, as a teenager, she was finally getting tired of it.

Holidays were awful. Amelia either spent them by herself, at her only friend's house – and she always felt so bad for bothering Mattie and her family, even if they were Canadian and extremely nice – or she spent it with Ivan. Actually, she preferred spending it with Ivan, but she also missed her dad like crazy. He was the only family she had; her mom had bailed on them right after she was born and her dad was all she knew. And he wasn't a bad dad; he just seemed to like his work more than he liked her.

Now, he was going away for a business trip on the other side of the damn country for two weeks. Her dad had never been gone for longer than a week tops, so two weeks was a major thing. Plus, he had just told her about it, like – she cheeked her phone – fifty minutes ago, and he was due to leave early the next morning. Talk about a bombshell. So, Amelia figured she was allowed to be angry about him leaving and so suddenly, especially when tomorrow night, Friday, was the opening for the high school's play – they were doing Little Shop of Horrors – and she was in it. Granted, she was a bum along with Mattie, but it was still important for her that her dad be there. And he wasn't going to be. That made everything so much worse.

So, here she was, stomping angrily into the park and letting off invisible steam. Amelia marched resolutely over to the swing set and sat down, gliding gently back and forth as she played Sky Burger on her phone. What she wanted right now was to be alone for a little while. Actually, no. What she really wanted and needed right now was to be with Ivan.

Ivan had been in her life since she was six years old. She had had a crush on him since she was six and she had finally figured out that she was in love with him since she was twelve. Her feelings hadn't diminished at all over time. Instead, they grew stronger. And now, being a teenager and starting to realize and see things, Amelia had a strong feeling that Ivan was in love with her as well. It was the small things that he did.

Like, the way that he would hold her and kiss her forehead or the top of her head whenever she was angry and upset or sad. Or how he always listened to her even though he was thirty-one now. Or how Ivan always treated her better than anyone else he talked to, her dad included, and how he never once thought of her as a silly teenage girl who didn't understand anything. Ivan knew, despite Amelia's usually cheery, happy-go-lucky façade, that she was smarter than she seemed and understood things that most teens her age didn't even want to touch on.

The bottom line of it was that Ivan genuinely cared about her and would never do anything to hurt her. He even let her stay with him a few times when she fought with her dad. Ivan had a room available in his house just for her and it was always kept neat and orderly. Just thinking about Ivan made her heart beat and soar and Amelia just wanted to be with him so bad right now.

Making up her mind, Amelia got off of the swing and made her way back down the street to Ivan's house. Her dad was probably fuming in the living room or up in his room. So he wouldn't see her, especially if she crawled through Ivan's one living room window, the one he always kept a bit open during the spring, summer, and fall, and was always unlocked. Since it was in the living room, it didn't face her house at all, so it was perfect. Besides, it wouldn't be the first time Ivan would see her crawl through his window; she's done it several times before after fighting with her dad.

Soon, she arrived at Ivan's house and, yep, the window was opened slightly. Pushing it up all the way, Amelia climbed through it, thankful that it wasn't a small window like the ones Mattie has in the kitchen. Landing quietly on the living room floor, Amelia pushed the window back down and looked around. Ivan wasn't in the living room. Odd. He usually was at this time of night, knitting or reading or something like that.

"Ivan?" Amelia called out as she made her way to his kitchen. He wasn't there either. Maybe he was upstairs in his study?

"Ivan?" she called out again as she ascended the stairs. The study was on the right in the room to the left, but when she checked it, Amelia found that it was empty. Frowning, she wondered where on Earth he could be – his car was in the driveway – when she heard something. It sounded kind of like a moan, but she couldn't be sure.

Amelia stepped out of the study's doorway and made her way to Ivan's bedroom. It sounded like the noise came from there. As she got closer, she heard the noise again and she realized that it was, indeed, a moan. Did Ivan hurt himself? Or…or was he doing something else? At that thought, a blush colored her cheeks and her heart began to beat furiously. Butterflies tumbled and danced in her stomach and a tingling sensation began to form in her nether regions.

She approached Ivan's bedroom and found that the door was half open. Stepping closer to the door, Amelia peered inside. What she saw made her gasp, turned her already pink cheeks even redder, and made the tingling sensation below even stronger.

Ivan was lying on his bed, his shoulders supported by his pillows, and he was…well, he was stroking himself. Fascinated and aroused by the sight, Amelia watched as Ivan's hand stroked his large, hard member. Fluid glistened at the tip and Ivan's head was tilted back, his eyes closed as he masturbated. Licking her lips, Amelia couldn't help but watch him. She had been wondering, especially here of late, what Ivan was packing, what with being a curious teenager and all. Now, she knew and she wasn't at all disappointed.

"Amelia," came a guttural, breathy moan and Amelia's eyes widened. Ivan was stroking himself and he was thinking of her! Her! So he did feel the same way…

That knowledge gave her courage and a boost of confidence. Before she could talk herself out of it, Amelia opened the door wider, glad that it hardly made a sound – not that Ivan would have heard it away – and stepped into his bedroom. Quietly, she approached the half-naked man and watched him. Her hands began to sweat and tremble and she wasn't entirely sure what to do. Well, she knew knew. What teenager didn't know about sex? But doing it or something along the lines was an entirely different matter, especially the first time around.

The tingling sensation intensified and Amelia could feel herself getting moist. Ivan's strokes quickened and his hair was matted to his forehead and neck by sweat. God, he was positively gorgeous, everything she had dreamed of and so much more. Because even when she six after he had moved to the area, Amelia never named her Ken dolls Ken but Ivan.

Without thinking, acting on pure instinct, Amelia extended a trembling hand and wrapped it around Ivan's member, joining his hand as he stroked himself. That caused Ivan's entire body, hand and all, to stop. He opened his beautiful violet eyes, which here clouded with lust, and gazed at her. His eyes widened when he saw her and he sat up, his own pale cheeks turning pink.

"A-Amelia!" he said, sounding breathy and needy. "I-I-I can explain…"

"Ivan," Amelia said, chewing on her bottom lip for a second. "Ivan…can I…?" She indicated towards his member. The fear and uncertainty that had tainted his violet eyes was replaced with understanding and Ivan nodded.

Crawling up on the bed, spreading her legs so that his were between hers, Amelia began stroking Ivan's hard member. It was hot and heavy in her hand and it twitched as she stroked him. Ivan closed his eyes and moaned as her hand began to stroke slowly at first and then began to speed up as she became more confident. The wetness she felt in her panties only grew more and more and all rational thought went out the window as Amelia became completely lost in the moans coming from Ivan's mouth and his hot and hard member in her hand.

"I…I'm close," Ivan said after a few minutes. Amelia knew that that must have been a good thing; she had no idea how long he had been at it when she walked in.

"That's a good thing…right?" Amelia asked and then felt stupid. She couldn't help that she sounded like an inexperienced virgin, but still…

"Da, but…not until I have you!" Ivan said, ending in a growl. He surged forward and grabbed Amelia in his strong arms.

Their first kiss was everything Amelia had ever dreamed of and so, so much more. It was starlight and sun bursts and meteor showers. It was chocolate and cherries. It was promises and dreams and passion and love. Ivan's lips were soft, slightly chapped, but felt absolutely wonderful against her own. She moaned into their kiss and melted into his arms, moving so that she sat in his lap, his erection brushing against her butt. Gasping at the feel of it rubbing against her, Amelia opened her mouth and Ivan's tongue delved inside.

His tongue prodded hers and her prodded back experimentally at first and then with more confidence. Ivan stroked the roof of her mouth before he stroked her tongue. Amelia moaned and her fingers dove into his hair. It was so soft and silky and smelled just as amazing as it always did.

They parted when the need for air became too great. Panting Amelia moved her fingers from his hair and wrapped them around his neck. Ivan planted soft kisses to her forehead, her cheeks, all over her face as he ground his throbbing erection against her butt.

"Amelia…I can't help myself," Ivan told her, his voice soft but hoarse with his lust and desire for her. "I've tried, I've tried so hard, but you haunt my dreams every night. I just can't stop myself from loving you."

"Ivan…Ivan I…I've loved you for a long time," Amelia confessed, her face burning an unattractive red. "I had a crush on you ever since you first moved in and it turned into something more."

"I am glad to hear you say that, my подсолнечник," Ivan said, his eyes meeting hers. The love that he had confessed was so clearly reflected in those violet orbs that it made Amelia's heart melt. "For I do love you above all others."

"I love you too, Ivan," Amelia said, feeling more sure about herself. "I-Ivan?"

"Da?" he asked as he peppered soft kisses along her neck.

"Would…" Amelia swallowed, knowing that what she was about to ask would change everything between them forever. "Would you make love to me?" she asked, her voice sounding so small, but so sure. Ivan looked into her blue eyes and studied her for a moment before he kissed her sweetly on her mouth.

"Whatever you wish, my sunflower," he said.

He kissed her again with passion and fervor as his hands moved underneath her Captain America T-shirt and caressed the bare, tanned skin beneath. His fingers felt nice and cool against her flush skin and she moaned as they moved upwards to her breasts. They kissed as his hands cupped her breasts and squeezed them gently, causing her to jerk up at the sensation. Her nipples hardened and she felt Ivan's fingers move to her back and unclasp her bra.

Breaking the kiss, Ivan pull her shirt off before he removed her bra, both of which landed on the floor somewhere in his room. His eyes drank in the sight of her exposed upper body, completely bare and all for him to see. Just him. Only him.

Ivan bent his head and placed a kiss at each nipple, first to the right one and then the left. He then sucked on her left nipple while his hand played with her right one. Amelia moaned and started rocking herself against his member, letting her instincts take over. She could feel herself getting wet, so very wet, and she wanted him to touch her down there too, knowing it would only bring her nothing but pleasure.

When Ivan was finished with her nipples, he took off his shirt, leaving him entirely nude before he kissed her again. With slightly shaking hands, Amelia touched Ivan's stomach, feeling the hard muscles there, and roamed upwards until she felt his nipples underneath her hands. She played with them, pinching them lightly and rubbing them while Ivan moved to her jean shorts. Unbuttoning them, Ivan tugged them down somewhat before Amelia lifted herself so that he could pulled them down along with her underwear. Just like her shirt and bra, they fell onto the floor.

A heat began to rise inside of Amelia as Ivan's hands dipped lower, past her stomach, before they settled on her hips. His one hand caressed her hip lightly while his other one moved lower until she could feel his fingers down there. Amelia moaned as she felt his fingers brush against her folds. Ivan broke their kiss and smiled at her, lust and desire evident in his expression.

"So wet for me already," he said, his voice heavy and thick.

"Only for you," Amelia said, her lips brushing against his.

"I'd like to take it slower, to pleasure you more thoroughly, but I simply cannot wait, my sunflower," Ivan told her.

"We have all night, Vanya," Amelia said, using the nickname his sisters used to always call him.

That seemed to cause a shift in him. Ivan's eyes darkened and his lust became ever more apparent. He flipped them over so that she was lying on his bed, surrounded by his scent, by him, and he kissed her with a passion that men and civilizations fought and died for. Ivan lined himself up with her virgin folds and gently pushed in until he was buried deep inside of her.

Amelia couldn't help but cry out in pain. Tears pricked her eyes and began to fall. It hurt so damn badly! She had known it would, but she had no idea how much. Ivan kissed away her tears as he stilled himself inside of her. Then he pressed sweet, loving kisses to her lips once her tears had ended.

"Move. P-please move," Amelia gasped. She knew that if he did, the pain would ebb and only pleasure would remain.

"Tell me to stop if it begins to hurt too much," Ivan said. Then, he began to move.

Pulling out, he slowly thrust himself back inside of her. Stilling for only a few seconds, he pulled out again before going back in. Creating a slow pace so as not to hurt Amelia any further, Ivan went in and out, her body so wet and tight and eager for him wrapped around his member, almost causing him to cum before he could even pleasure her.

Eventually, the pain ended and Amelia could only moan as pleasure overwhelmed her, the heat that had begun to form rising higher and higher. With her arms wrapped around his shoulders, one hand pulling his hair while the other dug into his shoulder, she moaned loudly, her hips rocking against Ivan as his pace began to grow faster and faster.

Ivan kissed down her neck, nipping and sucking the juncture between her neck and shoulder, marking her forever as his and his alone. Amelia was in pure heaven, pure and blissful heaven. Her body was on fire, burning both hot and cold as Ivan made love to her for the first time in her entire life. All of the books she had read, all of the Health class Power Points never even came close to describing all of the sensations she was feeling. Heaven was on Earth right then and there in the bedroom and Amelia never wanted to leave it.

The bed rocked beneath them as Ivan sped up, losing control and thrusting into her willing body hard and fast. All Amelia could do was hold on, rock again him instinctively, and cry out in pure pleasure. Heat consumed her body like a tidal wave and she could feel herself drowning willingly in Ivan's love and passion.

"I-Ivan!" she cried out. "Ivan! Ivan, I'm gonna…!"

White light blinded her as Amelia threw her head back and cried out as loud as she could, feeling the heat take over her entire body. It left her feeling sensitive and drained of energy. Ivan thrust into her one last time before he, too, came. She could feel his hot seed fill her and it made her shiver deliciously.

Ivan gently laid himself on top of her, panting, his sweaty hair matted to his neck and forehead again. Her own short hair was sticking to her sweaty skin and Amelia felt as though she couldn't move, her body was just so sensitive and drained. She managed to kiss Ivan's forehead and he looked up at her, panting, his face just as flushed as her own. Leaning up, he kissed her before he laid his head back on her bare chest. One of his hands grasped her own, their fingers twining together making a perfect fit.

"I love you, my dear Amelia, my sunflower," Ivan said before he kissed the back of her hand.

"I love you too, Ivan," Amelia said, her voice breathy and dry.

Afterwards, when they hand recovered from their first love making, Amelia told Ivan about the awful fight with her dad. Ivan kissed away her sadness and frustration and loneliness and made love to her again. And when Amelia woke the following morning to darkness and her dad's car door slamming shut, Ivan did so again.

For once in her life, Amelia felt as though everything was perfect.

~…~

"Are you sure, though?" Mattie asked Amelia for the hundredth time that day.

"Yes, Mattie, I'm sure," Amelia said, feeling stressed and worried and hopelessly lost and afraid. "I took three damn tests! They all came up positive."

"Are you going to tell Ivan then?" Mattie asked.

Mattie, being her one and only friend, of course knew about Amelia and Ivan. Hell, Mattie had known since she had moved here and became friends with Amelia when they were twelve, a month after the embarrassing period accident. Thankfully, Mattie knew how to keep a secret and hadn't told a soul about Amelia's love for Ivan. She hadn't even told her stuff polar bear, Mr. Kumajiro, which she still slept with to this day.

"I have to. I don't really have a choice," Amelia replied. "He's the father. He should know."

"Do you think he'll be there?" Mattie said as they stopped by Amelia's locker. She, unfortunately, had a Geometry test the following day and studying would, hopefully, get her a D minus, which was still passing thank God.

"I _know_ he'll be there," Amelia said, and she did know that Ivan would be there for her and for their baby. The fact that she was pregnant hadn't sunk in yet; she was still in a blissful shock and hopefully would be especially after…

"It's my dad I'm worried about," Amelia admitted, feeling scared and worried. She started trembling just thinking about how her dad would react. God, he would absolutely freak. That's why Ivan absolutely needed Ivan with her when she did tell him. Then again, maybe not because her dad would most likely try to kill him.

"Yeah, you're dad's not going to take it well at all," Mattie agreed, giving Amelia a sympathetic look. "If he doesn't press charges on Ivan, I'm going to be surprised."

"He can't press charges on Ivan," Amelia said, finding her voice and getting angry just at the thought. "I'm not getting rid of the baby and Ivan will be there and he'll take care of us. He's going to take responsibility and my dad can't exactly send him to jail if he's willing to step up to the plate."

"Besides," Amelia added, "if he did, I'd run away from home and he'd never see me again."

"But Amelia!" Mattie gasped, "You're only fifteen!"

"I'll be sixteen soon!" Amelia said. "Besides, when he's calm, Dad can be reasonable and rational. Yeah, Ivan may be in his thirties, but if he's willing to be there, that should count for something."

"It'd help more if Ivan just scared your dad into not pressing charges," Mattie said as they walked away from the lockers and made their way to the front doors of the school. "My dad is scared to death of him. Even Gilbert is scared of him!"

"You mean your awesome boyfriend is afraid of the Big, Bad Russian?" Amelia teased, trying to find some normalcy to hold onto.

"Let's face it: who in this town aside from you isn't afraid of him?" Mattie countered. "I can't believe you guys have been…well…_together_," she said in a whisper, her eyes big and wide, "for more than a year."

"Yeah, I know. It's been great," Amelia said, sighing happily at the thought.

And it had been great. Really great. Even with her dad sometimes being a jerk and obsessing over work and leaving her by herself, Amelia was never alone. With Ivan, she never felt uncared for or unloved; quite the opposite actually. Hell, she was pretty damn sure that he loved her more than her own father did even though she was still a teenager and he was going to be thirty-three this year.

Now, though, they had this baby and Amelia couldn't say with one hundred percent certainty that Ivan would stick around. Yes, she believed and hoped that he would, but one never knew, not when things like an unexpected pregnancy popped up.

And her dad… God, she'd be lucky if all he did was call the cops on Ivan.

"Are you going to tell him now?" Mattie asked her as they stepped outside into the sunlight.

"Yeah. I want him to know before I even think about how I'm gonna break this news to my dad," Amelia replied, feeling her stomach tie up in numerous knots and churn and roll.

"Good luck, Amy," Mattie said, giving her a sympathetic pat on her shoulder before she found Gilbert, standing by his car as usual talking to his friends.

The walk from school to Ivan's house seemed to take forever even though it was only a fifteen minute walk. Amelia's heart was pounding deafeningly in her ears by the time she stepped up onto Ivan's porch. Since her dad wasn't home – re rarely ever was by the time she got out of school – she didn't have to knock; she just used the key Ivan gave her. Swallowing the bile that threatened to burst from her mouth, Amelia unlocked the door and stepped into the house, closing and locking the door behind her.

"Ivan?" she called, her voice cracking slightly.

"Amelia?" Ivan replied and he came out of the kitchen and into view. The smile that broke out on his face upon seeing her was damn near heart breaking. How anyone could be so happy to see her was beyond her comprehension.

Before she could stop it, tears began to fall from her eyes. Ivan was just so perfect for he! It was as though he had been made specifically for her, to love her and protect her. And she was about to tell him something that might bring them closer or push him far away.

"Amelia? What is wrong?" Ivan asked, worry wiping the smile off of his face as he made his way over to her, his hands coming to rest on her upper arms.

Sobbing, Amelia gazed into his eyes and had to breathe several times before she could speak. When she did, however, it was with a choked, raw voice.

"Ivan…I…I…I'm pregnant," she said. And there they were. The words that had been so hard to speak and that would change everything forever. Silence fell upon them as Ivan stood before her in shock.

"Are you certain?" he asked, his voice soft, amazed.

"Yes," she said. "I took three tests. I haven't seen a doctor yet though."

Amelia expected him to pull away from her, to tell her that a family wasn't what he wanted. She expected Ivan to run away like a coward, like a man who had seduced a young teenage girl and left her out to dry. She expected the very worse.

What she got wasn't what she had expected, though.

Instead of running away or telling her that they were breaking up and that he never, ever wanted to see her again, Ivan pulled her to him, wrapping her in his strong, warm, familiar embrace. His arms felt incredible around her, shielding her from the cruelties of life and warming her with the love he held for her in his heart. He held her close, his hold never wavering, and after a moment's shock, Amelia held onto him as though her life depended on it. She cried in his embrace and allowed herself to be showered in his love.

"Do not cry, подсолнечник. There is no reason to be sad or afraid. I'm here and we're together and we're going to have a baby," Ivan's voice reassured her, relaxing her, quelling her fears, and calming her while his hands rubbed her back and his lips pressed a soft kiss to her temple. "We're starting our family a bit early, but I've known for a while now that I wanted a family with you."

"You do?" Amelia asked as she pulled back to look into his violet eyes. All she was there was honesty and love.

"Da, I do. And while it may be starting a little early, that only means that we can have more children, da?" Ivan asked, smiling gently down at her.

"Da," she replied, smiling back at him through her tears. Ivan leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead before he kissed her lips.

"I love you, my sunflower," Ivan said. "And I never say anything I don't mean."

"I love you too, Ivan," Amelia said. "And I know you don't like to waste words on lying."

"Come. Let us sit at the kitchen table. I was making coffee when you arrived. I bet you are weary from school and from stress, da?" Ivan asked as he led her from the living room into his kitchen.

"Y-yeah," Amelia said before she sat down. While Ivan worked on getting their coffee, she spoke.

"Ivan…what are we going to tell my dad?" she asked, her voice small. He turned to her and sat down beside her, setting their coffee on the table.

"We tell him the trust. The truth speaks louder than lies do," Ivan said. He held her hand in one of his own large ones and squeezed it once. "We tell Arthur that we didn't mean for this to happen, but it did and it's a love that is true and pure and that nothing can and will keep us apart. And we tell him that we're starting a family and that I will gladly take full responsibility for my actions, now and forever."

"What if he calls the cops on you?" Amelia asked, still slightly breathless from his words.

"Amelia, I worked for the Russian militsiya for many years before I came to this country. I can assure you, if your father does call the police, nothing will happen," Ivan said and the glint in his eyes told Amelia that there was nothing her dad could do to the Russian that would keep them apart.

"So…when do we tell him?" Amelia said.

"How about right now?" Ivan asked. "He just pulled into your driveway."

~…~

"You're WHAT?!" her dad yelled as he stood up from his chair at the kitchen table. They were at Amelia's house now and had just broken the news to her dad. They told him everything and he obviously wasn't taking the news very well.

"I'm…pregnant, Dad," Amelia said for the fourth time that day.

"Pregnant?! PREGNANT?! By this Communist who couldn't keep his hands off of you?!" her dad shouted, his green eyes glaring daggers at Ivan.

"My country is not Communist anymore, Arthur," Ivan said pleasantly enough. "Besides, I have dual citizen ship here, so I'm also, technically, American."

"No you're bloody not! And this is not bloody happening, I say! I won't allow it!" her dad yelled, glaring at the both of them now. "Amelia how could you let this happen?!"

"It just…did, Dad! I can't help what I feel!" Amelia argued, anger boiling to the surface.

"You're a teenager! You don't know what the bloody hell you feel!" her dad countered angrily.

"Yes, I do!" Amelia said as she stood up and glared at her father. "I've loved Ivan ever since I was six years old! Don't tell me what I feel, Dad!"

"I still won't allow it! You're only fifteen!" her dad growled and turned to Ivan. "FIFTEEN! What made you think that it was a good idea to fuck a minor?!"

"Dad!" Amelia shouted while Ivan replied at the same time.

"First of all, what we did wasn't…ah…'fucking' as you say. We made love. Numerous times, might I add," Ivan told her dad with a smile. Amelia also screamed at him that he was so not helping but she knew that Ivan was just baiting her dad now because he was angry. It's what he did when her dad made him angry. "Besides, it is not uncommon for adults to procreate with minors or marry them for that matter."

"But it's still illegal!" Arthur shouted.

"Da, but that hasn't stopped it from happening in the past in this country or even in this day and age in this country. Besides, my love for Amelia is genuine and I can take wonderful care of her and our children," Ivan said, smiling.

"C-children?" her dad asked, his voice cracking and his face paling.

"Da. I never planned on having just one. I am Russian; large families are what we do," Ivan replied. Then, he grew serious. "I know you don't like me and that you don't like Amelia and I being together and that I made love to her many times and got her pregnant because of it, but I will take care of her and our child. I am a man of my word and I do love her very much. Rest assured, Arthur, that Amelia is in good hands."

Her dad remained silent for a few minutes, creating a tension so thick that it could be cut with a knife. She couldn't read his expression and his eyes showed no sign of what he was feeling on the inside. When he finally did speak, his voice was icy and it chilled her to the bone.

"Get the hell out of my house. Both of you! And never, ever come back, do you understand me?" he said, his green eyes cold and distant as though he was a stranger. "Now get out. GET OUT!"

Ivan stood, grabbed Amelia's upper arm and guiding her through the door. She didn't even realize she had been crying until Ivan handed her a tissue as they stepped out of her house. Well, it _was_ her house. Now, it wasn't. Amelia didn't live there anymore. Her dad had kicked her out.

"Get your things tomorrow when I'm not here!" her dad called from his front porch as they walked up the walkway to Ivan's front door. "And you'd best hope I don't call the cops!"

"He won't call the cops. If he was going to, he would have already," Ivan reassured her. "Not that it would've helped him anyway."

Once they were inside his house, Amelia collapsed in Ivan's arms and bawled like a baby.

~...~

At sixteen years old and half way through her summer vacation, Amelia's relationship with Ivan flourished and grew. Only four months pregnant, she hadn't begun showing yet, which was both a good and bad thing. Good because it meant that she could still wear a bikini when she sun bathed or went swimming. Bad because it meant that she would be showing by the time school started up again. Mattie had said to her once that maybe she wouldn't show much until later in her pregnancy and Amelia hoped that would be the case. Either way, she supposed it wouldn't matter much since people would still be asking her questions about it once she did start to show and how the hell was she supposed to answer those questions?

Obviously, she couldn't tell them about her relationship with Ivan even though she was living with him. Luckily, though, everyone thought she was living with Mattie and her family. Luckier still was that Mattie's parents were willing to cover for her, especially when her and Mattie explained the situation - and by explain, she meant lying off their asses. What Mattie and herself told her friend's very trusting, very naive Canadian parents was that her dad had kicked her out when she refused to break up with the guy she was seeing and now she was living with him because she'd feel guilty about mooching off of Mattie's parents. While the feeling guilty about the mooching part wasn't a lie, the rest kind of was and kind of wasn't. By the time they were done explaining, Mattie's parents made Amelia promise to come to their place if she got in a fight with her boyfriend, seeing as how she was still a minor.

Her dad still hadn't talked to her. There had been quite a few times when she'd be working on the garden in the backyard with Ivan or just sun bathing or whatever and she'd catch her dad watching her. But he either went into the house when he was caught or just pretended as though he hadn't been watching her. It made Amelia very sad and very tired all at once. As much as they fought, she did love her dad; he had been her rock and her only parent ever since before she could remember and now he just...didn't want to be there.

Okay, yeah, she had made a stupid mistake and had slept with Ivan at a very early age. But it wasn't as though she was a stupid teenager; Amelia was genuinely in love with Ivan and Ivan loved her back. She was in a strong relationship and while she may be a teenage mom, she'd still have love and support and a home. At least both her and Ivan were owning up to their mistake and being responsible about it. That had to count for something, right? Amelia liked to think so, but apparently her dad didn't.

Or so she thought.

Then, one day, as she was heading into the kitchen after trimming the hedges in the backyard, her dad called out to her.

"Amelia!" came his voice from his backyard. Startled and definitely more than a bit surprised, she looked up to see him walking over to the fence that separated their properties.

"Dad?" she asked, sounding like a small child who was afraid and hopeful all at once.

"I...I'd like to talk to you if that would be alright," he said, looking a bit uncertain and nervous.

"Okay. Yeah, sure. Come in," Amelia said as she unlocked the gate and let him in. "Ivan isn't home; he went to visit his older sister this weekend, but he's supposed to be back later tonight.

"Oh. Good, good," her dad said. They sat down on the steps leading up to the back porch.

"So...what did you want to talk to me about?" Amelia asked him after a few minutes of awkward silence. Her dad sighed heavily and turned to her.

"This...isn't easy for me. What I'm about to tell you," he said.

"Take your time," she told him gently, not wanting to scare him off seeing as how he just started talking to her again.

"Well...here it goes. What have I told you about your mum?" he asked. That surprised her; she certainly hadn't been expecting that.

"Uh...not much. Just that she left when I was really little," Amelia replied.

"That she did," her dad said, his voice thick with emotions and his eyes shining brightly with tears that wouldn't fall. It took a lot, _a lot_, her make her dad cry. "I met your mum when I was twenty-nine. She was only sixteen. I...I had just moved to the country and had just started working for my company. I was young...stupid...and full of hopes and dreams.

"She was a bar tender, working, of course, illegally with a fake I.D., but when I saw her...it was as though the heavens had parted and revealed a fallen angel," her dad explained to her, his eyes glassing over as he recalled the memory, reliving the past as he talked to her. "By the gods, she was beautiful. You take after her, thank goodness. You're like her...her mirror image. Anyway, she liked me, flirted with me, every time I came into the bar. I thought she was eighteen, so I, naturally, responded in kind. And then I finally worked up enough courage to ask her out on a date.

"Miraculously, she agreed. We went out several times before we started seeing each other regularly and I still didn't know she was sixteen. She didn't tell me her true age until she found out she was pregnant with you when she was seventeen. I was elated; I had never had a family of my own in Britain and there was my chance to finally have the life I always dreamed of having. Work was going well, I had a beautiful girlfriend, although still a minor, and I was about to have a baby. I had never been happier."

Her dad stopped and laughed, a humorless, choked up laugh. Amelia leaned against him, giving him strength truth her touch as she listened, completely entranced, by his tale. She didn't say a word - what was there to say anyway? - and she didn't want to. All she wanted right then and there was to listen to her dad.

"I was thirty when you were born and your mother had just turned seventeen. I thought I had it all figured out. We would marry, have more kids, live a long and happy life together, and watch our kids have children of their own as we grew old," her dad said. "Obviously, things didn't turn out the way I had planned." He stopped and took in a few deep breaths to keep his tears at bay.

When he didn't continue after a few minutes, Amelia asked, "What happened, Dad?"

"O-one day, while I was at work, yoor mum packer her belongings - or what she could carry - and left. She left you with an elderly neighbor lady and just...left without saying a word, without leaving a note, without anything. All that time when I thought that she had wanted the same life I did, when she said she dreamt of what I dreamt, was nothing more than a lie," her dad explained. "She was young, seventeen, and didn't want to be tied down or held back by a newborn baby or a husband thirteen years older than herself. What she wanted was to be free and she couldn't be free if she stayed with us. So, she left.

"And that's why I was so very angry with you and with Ivan when you told me the truth. I didn't want the same thing to happen to you. I didn't want to see you left on your own with a baby and let your hopes and dreams die and fading into nothingness," Amelia's dad said. He turned and looked her in the eye. It was then that she realized that he was crying. "And if that did happen, I didn't want to see it, I didn't want to see you destroy yourself and let everything you ever dreamed of die. i realize now that I was wrong. I should have stood by you and supported you just in case that did happen instead of throwing you out to the dogs and abandoning you. I cannot make up for what I did, but I am deeply sorry for doing it."

"Dad...I get why you were angry, but you should have trusted me," Amelia said, inwardly wincing because, clearly, her own judgment wasn't all that great either. "I wouldn't have slept with Ivan if I didn't love him and if I didn't think that he loved me. All I've ever dreamed about was being with him, of him loving me back. And, Dad, he does."

"I realize that now. I...believe that what you two have is real and that things won't end for you as they did for me," her dad told her, his eyes showing more remorse and guilt than they had ever shown her before.

"I'm sorry, Dad. I know that I didn't always make things easy on you," Amelia said after a moment, her voice sounding just as choked up as her dad's did. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him, breathing in the familiar scent of home. He returned her hug and rubbed her back before he pulled away.

"But you're worth all of the hassle, Amelia," her dad said and smiled at her.

Amelia smiled back and she suddenly knew that things were going to work out.

~...~

It was September now. Amelia was six months along and something was terribly wrong.

It started out when she woke up that morning. Her lower back was killing her even more so than usual and she had this God awful cramps that just wouldn't go away. When she went to the bathroom, she found a weird gooey liquid on her panties. Mattie had told her that one of the side effects of being pregnant was vaginal discharge, so at the time Amelia thought nothing of it. Ivan had tried to talk her out of going to school, but Amelia insisted on going. She had told him that she'd need to have practically perfect attendence for when the baby came so that she'd be able to miss school and not have the police breathing down her back or her dad's. Reluctantly, Ivan agreed, but he wasn't happy about it; his worry was evident on his face when she left. Amelia thought - _hoped _- that the cramps and back pain would go away as the day progressed.

However, as the day continued and she went to her classes, her cramps got worse and worse and her back ache did not help whatsoever. Not only that, but it felt like her baby was psuhing down on her damn pelvic, which made everything so much worse and extremely uncomfortable. The only silver lining in the cloud was the fact that she had health today and not gym. Amelia didn't think she'd survive if she had gym.

Mattie was worried about her and insisted that she go to the hospital as soon as she was done with school. Amelia promised her that she would, and she intended to keep that promise, especially after sixth period had ended and the pains hadn't subsided or lessened in the slightiest. Instead, they only got worse and worse until Amelia had to practically bite down hard on her lip to keep from screaming out in pain.

She was never so thankful for the end of the day bell to ring in all of her life. Relief flooded her and Amelia grabbed her bag and, with Mattie, walked out the door. The walk home was hell, pure, unadulterated hell, and she cried out in joy when Ivan's house came into view. Mattie had to help her up the front steps because the pain was so bad and intense. Ivan practically swung open the door before they got to it.

"What's wrong?" he asked, sounding just as worried and nervous as he looked. He helped Amelia into the house and gently forced her to sit on the couch.

"She's been having really bad cramps all day and her back had been bothering her," Mattie said. "Ivan, she needs to go to the hospital."

"Da. I will take her there," he said and went out to start her car. Mattie sat down beside Amelia.

"Call me and let me know what's going on, okay?" she asked, her eyes wide and fearful.

"O-okay," Amelia replied through clenched teeth. Mattie hugged her before she stood up.

"I hope everything is okay," she said before she left. Ivan came in right after she left and helped Amelia up.

"Come, my sunflower. We must get you to the hospital immediately," Ivan said. Amelia couldn't stop gasping in pain as she went down the front steps again. Everything hurt so damn bad! It was hard and tiring to try to hold it in any longer.

"I know, it hurts. But we'll get to the hospital soon," Ivan reassured her as he kissed her forehead.

Getting into the car sucked ass and Amelia was too much in pain to even buckle her seat belt. Once Ivan had secured her in, he got into the car and they took off. Normally, the ride to hospital was only ten, maybe fifteen, minutes tops. Today, it felt like forever until they got there. Ivan said something to her but it didn't register in Amelia's mind. All she knew was that he left her in the car while he ran into the hospital. Minutes later, he emerged with a nurse pushing a wheel chair.

She hissed loudly when the nurse nad Ivan gently lifted her out of the car. Amelia moaned in pain as she was placed in the chair and then wheeled away from the car. It was becoming too much; she wasn't sure how much she'd be able to handle before she passed out. Everything around her was blurry and hard to make out through the tears that were clouding her vision.

People all around her talked and asked her questions, but their voices either didn't register with her or they sounded far, far away. An odd, wet sensation caused her to look down at herself. Weird, the front of her jeans looked soaked with water. But why would that be? She didn't understand and she just couldn't think through the pain she was experiencing.

Before Amelia knew it, she was in a room, on a bed, with a doctor looking at her, checking her over. Ivan was there, holding her hand, listening to the doctor, nodding and answering whatever questions were being asked. She had no idea what was going on and couldn't process any of what was going on around her. Everything around her was happening so fast and she couldn't keep up with anything. And then, something broke through the haze, one thing, one word.

"PUSH!"

And Amelia pushed. She pushed as hard as she could. But it was too much, the pain was too severe. Keeping up with it would definitely cause her to pass out and she didn't know what they'd mean for the baby. Hell, she didn't even know what any of this would mean for the baby! Was her baby okay? Was there something wrong? Amelia couldn't think straight; her thoughts were a jumbled mess and she was panting and gasp as pain threatened to cause to her black out.

"PUSH!"

Again, Amelia pushed, not even sure why. Some part of her just did it on instinct. Another part of her figured that if she kept the pain up, maybe she wouldn't pass out. But then that didn't make any sense at all, especially when the pain was so bad that she might just very well pass out anyway.

"PUSH!"

Crying out loudly, Amelia pushed again. This time, it felt as though a weight had left her. Suddenly, she couldn't feel her baby anymore and that worried her. Every sound became silent; it was as though she was deaf. Everything in the room started fading out; it was as though she was going blind. The last thing Amelia saw before she passed out was a teeny, tiny hand balled in a fist, flailing about slightly. And then, darkness.

~...~

"He's beautiful," Amelia said as she held her baby boy for the first time.

"Da, he is. Just like his mother," Ivan said and he kissed her temple. She knew that they both must have been grinning like idiots, but how could they not? Their baby was just so perfect! And healthy! Perfect and healthy, what every first time mom wants for her first child.

"What should we call him?" Amelia asked. Ivan and her had decided not to find out their baby's gender. They had wanted it to be a surprise and boy, was it a surprise. But despite his small size, their son was precious, precious and perfect.

"How about...Demyan?" Ivan suggested.

"Demyan?" Amelia asked.

"It's Russian for Damien," Ivan told her before kissing her again.

"Oh. Demyan's a good name. How does...Demyan Arthur Braginski sound?" Amelia said and she looked up at Ivan. He looked happier than she'd ever seen him and it made her want to cry tears of joy at the sight of it.

"Da. It's a good, strong name for a good, strong boy," Ivan answered and met her gaze. It still amazed her to find so much love and acceptance in his violet eyes even now. Her heart warmed and was filled with so much joy that it threatened to burst.

Amelia leaned up and kissed him, still holding her new son in her arms. This was the perfect beginning for a new life filled with hopes and dreams. And, of course, love.


End file.
